


One Step

by tiphorics



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Maid in Manhattan AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-09-27 19:58:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10043720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiphorics/pseuds/tiphorics
Summary: Yixing is a single dad who works full-time at a luxurious hotel. Hotel heir Baekhyun mistakes Yixing for one of the hotel's wealthy guests.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> omg 
> 
> i'm only posting part of it in hopes that it'll inspire/motivate me to finish this
> 
> also idk what city this is set in but it's an american one okay

“Chenle, do you have everything?” Yixing calls from the front of the apartment.

“Yeah!” Yixing hears his son call from his room.

“We’re running late. Hurry up!”

“Okay!”

“Don’t forget your jacket!”

Chenle rounds the corner, dragging his backpack with his right arm and struggling to put his left arm into his jacket sleeve. Yixing crouches down to help him. “What was the hold up?” he asks as Chenle’s arm slides into the sleeve.

Chenle shrugs his backpack on both his shoulders. “I had to update my iPod with my new playlist,” he says simply.

Yixing zips him up with a sigh and stands. “Come on, lets go.”

Once outside, Chenle pulls his iPod and earphones out from his jacket pocket. After he pops the buds in his ear – not bothering to untangle the cord – he takes Yixing’s hand and they’re off.

“Are you excited?” Yixing asks after they’ve walked for a bit. Chenle doesn’t respond. “Chenle? Hello?” He taps the back of Chenle’s neck without letting go of his hand. Chenle takes out a bud. “I’m trying to talk to you.”

“Sorry.”

“I asked if you were excited for your performance tonight.”

Chenle shrugs.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You’ve been working on this performance for a month. Of course you’re ready. I can’t wait to see you finally perform it. Neither can Appa.”

“Appa’s coming?”

“Of course. Remember, he said you two were going to spend the weekend together.”

Chenle looks at the ground and doesn’t say anything.

“What’s on your mind?” Yixing asks him.

“I don’t think he’s coming.”

“Why not? Look, I told him what time it starts so he knows. He’ll be there. On time.” Yixing sounds so sure that he’s even convincing himself that it was true. Chenle, however, still does not look convinced. Yixing stops walking and lowers himself to Chenle’s level. “Hey, look at me.” Chenle’s eyes meet his father’s. “Don’t look so down alright? When you’re done we’ll take you out for ice cream. How’s that?”

Chenle nods. “Okay,” he says softly.

 

☉☉☉

 

When they arrive in front of Chenle’s school after a few more blocks, Chenle quickly lets go of Yixing’s hand. “Too cool to be seen holding your dad’s hand?” Yixing jokes.

“No,” Chenle says. “I have to put my iPod away before going inside. It’s the rules, you know.” Yixing nods as he watches Chenle tuck the iPod inside a pocket in his backpack. “So at 5—“

“We’ll be there,” Yixing says.

“Okay, see you then.” He turns to go.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Chenle turns back to Yixing and glancing around before deciding it was safe to lean forward and give his dad a quick kiss. “I love you,” he says.

“Love you too. Have a good day, alright?”

“You too, Baba.” Chenle turns again and heads towards the entrance of the school. Yixing waits until Chenle is inside the building then he leaves to catch the train downtown.

 

☉☉☉

 

“Guess what room I was just in?” Taewoo asks Yixing as soon as he enters the break room.

Yixing glances up from the race car game he’s playing on his phone. He’d finished his final rooms early and decided to take a short break to rest his tired legs before leaving for the day. “What room?” he asks.

Taewoo plops down on the chair next to Yixing and immediately begins attacking what’s left of Yixing’s honey butter chips. “The hotel heir’s room. I’m assigned the Angel Suite this week.”

“Oh.” Yixing goes back to his game.

“Don’t you wanna hear what he and his assistant — or whoever that guy was — talked about?”

“How would you know what they talked about?”

“I eavesdropped. On accident, I swear,” he adds hastily after seeing Yixing’s quick glance of disapproval. “I was cleaning the master bathroom and he walked in the suite and started talking to that guy. I was going to come out but I didn’t want them to think I was listening to their conversation, which lead to me actually eavesdropping.”

Yixing just grunts, too distracted in his game to respond with words.

“Anyway they were talking about the gala and then he talked about some gossip about him and his alleged—”

“Gala?” Yixing doesn’t look up as he reaches for his chip bag, which is basically empty aside from the crumbs in the corner. “What gala?”

“Some gala they do every year.”

“Oh?”

“Not for us regulars.” Taewoo rolls his eyes. “Only for the ‘important’ employees.”

“Ah.”

“You’re so conversational.”

Yixing sighs and places his phone on the table. “Thank you and thank you again for saving me some chips. I thought you hated this flavor.”

“It’s growing on me. And there wasn’t much left anyway.”

Yixing stands to toss the bag in the trash.

One of their coworkers, Jongin, walks in looking relieved when he saw the two of them. "Hey," he says sounding close to tears. "Can I ask a favor? I wouldn't ask if I wasn't bleeding heavily from my left hand." He held up said hand which was wrapped in a blood soaked tissue.

"Oh my goodness, Jongin,” Yixing says coming quickly to his side. "What happened?”

”I cut my hand on some broken glass. I need someone to deliver this garment to my guest. Blood and expensive designer-wear don't exactly mix.”

"Taewoo's on break but I get off in about an hour so I'll drop it off for you.”

"Oh Yixing, you're a life savior." Jongin handed him the garment bag, which was draped across his opposite, blood-free arm. "They're in the TTS Suite. They also requested immediate unpacking so if you can start that for me that’ll be great. Don’t worry. I’m sure I'll have the bleeding stopped before you're done. Thanks again." He hurries off before Yixing can get in another word.

Taewoo scoffs. ”Why do you always volunteer?” he asks. "You don't get paid extra to do someone else’s work.”

“Because I'm a fool," Yixing replies. "I'll be back. It shouldn't take me long.”

In the elevator, Yixing glances at the time on his phone. It’s exactly 3 o’clock. He had to leave at 4 in order to make it to Chenle’s performance on time. He considers himself a fast worker but that wouldn’t matter if the guest had many things that needed to be unpacked. He hoped Jongin could stop the bleeding in time.

Turns out it isn’t so bad. The guest — a petit woman who looked to be in her 20’s — only had one suitcase that she needed unpacked. He hurriedly unpacks and puts everything away in the closet while the woman is sprawled out on the bed yapping away on her cell phone.

“—so then I had my assistant ‘accidentally’ forward my schedule for this week to his e-mail,” she was saying. “I sure did. I added a few extra lunch dates and dinner parties with my ex. Brilliant, right?” She chuckled like it was the funniest thing. “He’s going to be so angry, but a little competition might raise my market value if you get what I mean. Uh, excuse me? No, not you. I’m talking to the housekeeper. Excuse me?”

Yixing turns to face the woman. “Yes, ma’am?” he replies.

“Where is the suit that Armani sent over?”

He grabs the garment bag that Jongin gave him. It was one of the first things he hung in the closet. “This one?”

She nods and waved=s him over, speaking into the phone. “Oh, that’s nice, sweetie. Listen, I’ll call you after I’ve settled in, okay? Bye, bye.” She tosses her phone to the side and sits up.

When Yixing reaches the edge of the bed, she takes the garment bag from him and opens the zipper just enough to get a peek and smiles. “Ah. Lovely. It’s a gift,” she adds to Yixing as if he’d asked. He just nods politely in return. She zips it up again and hands it back to him. “Okay. You can hang it back up. I’ll take a better look at it later. You’re pretty much done now.” She clasps her hands together and looks down at her mostly empty suitcase. “I can do the rest. It’s mostly the personal things anyway. You did well. Thank you.”

“Uh, yes. Thank you.” He doesn’t waste another second. He leaves the suite as quickly as he can without seeming rude. Once he’s in the hallway, he glances at the time again — 3:45. All he has to do now is change out of his uniform and clock out. By the time that’s done, it’s 4:01 and he’s racing outside into the brisk, fall air.

On the way to the train, Yixing decides to call Chenle’s _appa_ to see if he’s on his way to the school. He doesn’t pick up on any of the 5 times Yixing calls. It’s only after Yixing gets off the train and is power-walking the last few blocks to Chenle’s school that his phone rings with a call from him. “Hello,” Yixing answers, slightly winded. “Junmyeon? Hello?”

“What?” Junmyeon asks, sounding annoyed.

“Where are you?”

“What? Why are you asking that?”

“Because Chenle’s performance starts soon.”

“Oh.” There’s a long pause.

“Hello?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m still here. What time is it at again?”

“Are you serious? It’s at five. I’ve been telling you this for a week.”

“Right, right.” He sighs.

“It’s okay if you’re late. Just be there.”

“Well, I…” His voice trails.

“What?” Yixing stops at a crosswalk. “What is it, Junmyeon?”

“I can’t be there.”

“And why’s that?”

“I’m about to board a plane in a few hours.”

“What?” Yixing exclaims. “Plane? Why are you going on a plane?”

“My, um, boyfriend surprised me with a trip to California.”

The light changed and Yixing crossed the street. “You’d better be joking.” He had no idea Junmyeon was dating anyone, but he supposed that’s none of his business anyway. Besides, they haven’t had a real conversation in almost a year.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, not thinking. You’ve been doing that a lot lately. What am I supposed to tell Chenle? You promised him you two would spend the weekend together.”

Junmyeon sighs again. He still sounds annoyed, which is starting to annoy Yixing. “I forgot, Yixing. I’ll take him somewhere when I get back. Just tell him—”

“No, you tell him. I’m tired of being the messenger. Do you realize it’s been weeks since you two have seen each other? Weeks, Junmyeon.”

“This is hard for me, Xing.”

“What is? Being a father?”

There’s another a long pause before Junmyeon speaks again. “I have to go, okay? I’ll see you when you get back—”

Yixing disconnects the call and shoves the phone back in his pocket.

 

☉☉☉

 

 Yixing waits for Chenle outside the backstage doors after the performance. It had lasted a good hour, Chenle’s group performing near the very end. The other performers of the evening have already come out and left with their families. The last one left over 20 minutes ago. Yixing is starting to get worried before the doors opened and Chenle finally steps out.

“Son!” Yixing calls, holding out his arms for a hug. Chenle looks up at him. He looks like he’d been crying but he forces a smile anyway right before walking into Yixing’s arms. He clings to his father, burying his face in his neck. “What’s wrong?” Yixing asks, rubbing his back.

“I messed up,” he said against Yixing’s neck.

“I didn’t see anything. You did great. You moved so well.”

“I ruined the performance.”

“No. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s okay to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s better to learn from them than to be upset, right? At least you did it. You made it through your first performance.”

Chenle doesn’t say anything.

“Hey. Ready to go get ice cream?”

Yixing feels Chenle nod against him and attempts to pull away from him but Chenle only tightens his grip. Yixing chuckles and tries joking. “You want me to carry you? What about all your friends, Mr. Cool Guy?”

“I don’t care,” Chenle says.

With a sad sigh, Yixing stands with his son in his arms and leaves the school. Later, they sit inside the ice cream shop, spooning away at a large bowl of ice cream. Well, Yixing is spooning. Chenle took maybe three bites and is now picking and poking it with his spoon. He still looks sad. Sadder than sad. Probably the saddest Yixing has ever seen him. Yixing was sure the ice cream would’ve cheered him up by now.

“Where’s Appa?” Chenle asks all of sudden.

“Ah,” Yixing says. He was wondering when he’d ask. He swallows the ice cream he’d put in his mouth. “He had to go away. I told you he was coming. I’m sorry I was wrong.”

Chenle meets his gaze. “Did he forget?”

Yixing considers lying. He considers saying something like: “Appa had a business meeting at the last minute and couldn’t come, but he’s sorry he couldn’t make it.” But Chenle is smarter than that, so he tells the truth. “Yes, he did.”

  
Chenle nods. He looks at the ice cream for a few moments then back at Yixing. “He’s why I messed up.”

“What do you mean?”

“I looked into the audience and I saw you and I was happy but then I didn’t see him and I—I don’t know.”

“You got distracted?”

“Yeah. I knew he wouldn’t come but I think I still hoped he would.”

Yixing reaches across the table to take Chenle’s hand in his. “I’m sorry.” It seems like he’s always apologizing to Chenle these days. He’s been sorry ever since his and Junmyeon’s nasty breakup, ever since Junmyeon decided to stop being a full-time parent, ever since he had to start doing everything himself. “Looks like you’re stuck with me again this weekend.”

Chenle gives him the first genuine smile since Yixing saw him that morning. “I don’t mind being stuck with you.”

 

☉☉☉

 

The following morning, Yixing leaves for work with Chenle in tow. Chenle hasn’t said a word all morning. Just a few grunts here and there whenever Yixing told him something or asked him a question. He’d put on his earphones when they got on the train and still has them on as they walk the few blocks from the station to the hotel.

Yixing’s employees are all happy to see Chenle as they always are whenever he came with Yixing to work. Chenle only removes his earphones long enough to say ‘Hello’ to everyone then puts them right back on. 

Yixing leaves him with Joohyun who works in dry cleaning. He usually hangs out in the backroom with his music and games until Yixing was done with work for the day. Sometimes during break, he and Joohyun would go to the park to eat lunch and play. It wasn’t the ideal way for Chenle to spend a weekend, but it was something he’d grown used to for the past couple of weeks.

As Yixing restocks his cart Taewoo appears in his line of vision. “Why the sad face?” he asks. “You’ve been sporting it all morning.”

“It’s Chenle,” Yixing says. “It seems he gets more down every week. This is the saddest I’ve seen him. This isn’t like him at all. He’s usually so upbeat. Now he hardly ever smiles. I don’t know what to do.”

“I think you’re doing great.”

“I feel like I’m making him more miserable by bringing him here every weekend.”

“If he’s miserable coming here just on the weekend, then what are we? We come here everyday.”

Taewoo only meant to lighten the mood but Yixing doesn’t really feel like joking. He adds the last bit of items to his cart. “I’m off.”

“I’ll accompany you. I’m not doing anything anyway.”

 

☉☉☉

 

“Where are you going?” Taewoo asks when they board the elevator.

“Twenty-second floor. They assigned me five rooms on that floor today.”

Taewoo presses the ’22’ button and the doors close. “They’re probably Jongin’s rooms. He didn’t come in today.”

“Is his hand still bothering him?”

Taewoo gives him a look. “Oh, please.”

“What? It looked pretty bad, didn’t it? All that blood.”

Taewoo shrugs. “I guess.”

“Do you have something against Jongin or what?”

“Not at all.”

It sounds sarcastic so Yixing isn't convinced but he doesn’t press it further.

When the elevator doors open at the 22nd floor, the resident of the TTS Suite is standing on the other side. She beams when her eyes land on Yixing. “Oh!” she exclaims. “Aren’t you the housekeeper that unpacked for me yesterday?”

“Yes, ma’am, I am,” he answers as he rolls the cart off the elevator. He pauses after a few feet while Taewoo stands between the elevator doors to keep them from closing.

“Perfect! Could you run an errand for me? I’d do it myself but I’m already running late for a lunch meeting.” Yixing doesn’t get time to respond because she’s talking again. “I have some items that need returning. They belong to the shop downstairs.”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver. There are 2 on the bed and a few more in the closet on the far, far left. You’ll know which ones since they still have the tags on them. It’s just a couple of shirts and some slacks.” She reaches into her purse and hands him some money and two receipts. “Thanks so much, darling,” she says to Taewoo as she steps onto the elevator. Taewoo moves away from the doors to allow them to close.

Yixing pockets the receipts and bills and he strolls down the hallway.

“Yixing the lifesaver,” Taewoo says, nudging him with his elbow as he walks beside him. “You saved two lives two days in a row, how does it feel?”

“Not as rewarding as you would think,” is Yixing’s reply.

“Who was that anyway?”

“She’s the resident in the TTS Suite.”

“Oh. She’s cute. And she tips. My kinda customer.”

“I think you two would get along.” He parks the cart outside his first room and pulls out his housekeeping key.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I don’t know she just seems like your type of people.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not but okay.”

“I haven’t asked in a while but how’s everything going with you and your guy? You decided on a date yet?”

Taewoo rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically.

“What? Is everything going okay?”

“Everything is just fine. We’re still getting married. It’s just taking a whole lot longer than we both thought because finances.”

“I thought you didn’t want a big wedding.”

“Yeah, we both agreed we’d have a small gathering at our place and just do it at the city hall, but, well, things have changed. Now we can’t agree on anything.” He shakes his head. “I say the spring, he says summer. Then out of no where he wants this huge celebration. He’s actually looking into booking halls and whatnot. I don’t get it.”

"I think it’s sweet that he wants to go all out.”

"It would be even sweeter if we had the money for it. That's why it's taking this long. He wants to save. I'm gonna be a completely broke newlywed for most of the new year.”

“You both love each other a lot," Yixing says, inserting the key into the slot on the door. “I think it’ll be worth it.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right.” Taewoo follows Yixing inside the room. 

"What about you?”

"What about me?”

"Have you met anyone?”

"You already know the answer.” Yixing begins stripping the beds.

“Do I?”

"I don't have the time. I have a son. I work.”

“At least go out and meet someone. You don’t go out like you used to. You used to be so fun in college. How long has it been since you’ve been with someone, you know, intimately? Since Junmyeon left?”

Yixing doesn't respond as he tosses the sheets from the first bed to the floor and moves on to the next one.

"No way, Xing. Has it really been that long?”

Yixing sighs then turns to face his friend. “What? Do I need to move on right away?”

“No, no. I just want you to be happy. I know how much he hurt you. Is still hurting you.”

“I don’t care about him hurting me anymore. Anyway, I’m fine. I don’t need to find love again right away. It hasn’t even been a full year since we separated.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I do want to date again, but it’s not a priority right now. It’s not a big deal to me, okay? Now, this conversation is over. You said you were going to help me.”

“When did I say I was helping you?”

 

☉☉☉

 

“Did you find them?” Yixing asks. He’d turned from smoothing out the sheets on the freshly made bed to find Taewoo still rummaging through the closet, a few clothes draped over one of his arms. They’d made it onto Yixing’s second to last room, the TTS Suite. Since Taewoo was just wandering around Yixing had asked him to look for the items the guest needed to return while he made the bed.

“Look at this,” Taewoo says, turning to show Yixing a royal blue silk shirt still on its hanger. “Isn’t it nice? It’s by some designer whose name I can’t even pronounce which makes it even more beautiful.”

“Is that one of the items that needs to be returned? If it isn’t, put it back.”

Taewoo appears not to have heard him. “Xing, you have to feel this material.” He steps closer to Yixing, holding out the shirt for him to feel. “It’s like butter. It’s smoother than butter. It’s…Just feel it.”

Yixing can't resist. He feels the sleeve of the shirt. Taewoo’s right. It’s nice. He catches a glimpse of the price tag then leans in closer to see if he’s reading correctly. “$2000? For this little thing?”

“How do you even wash it? It’s so delicate.” Taewoo gives him mischievous look. “Hey, try it on.”

“What? No way! Why would I do that?”

Taewoo shoves the shirt into his hand. “It’s small. Your shoulders are narrow. It’ll probably fit you perfectly. Plus it compliments your skin tone.”

“It’s small because it’s a shirt for women.”

“Did you read the tag? It’s a mens shirt.”

“Either way, I’m not wearing it. I have to return it along with the other things. Is that all of them?” He nods toward the clothes still draped on Taewoo’s arm.

“Maybe. Did you want to see? They’re just as expensive. Not as pretty which I now understand why she wants to return them. Yikes.”

Yixing drops his voice to a whisper. “Do you try on guests’ clothes often?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Taewoo says with a shrug. “A lot of us do. You don’t?”

“No! What’s the point in that?”

“It’s fun.”

“What’s so fun about trying on clothes you can’t take home with you?”

“It’s like…” Taewoo thinks about it for a moment. “I don’t know. Like when else are most of us going to wear, for example, a $2000 shirt?”

“There are better ways—“

“Oh, for goodness sake. Live a little, Xing! No one has to know besides us. Also it technically doesn’t belong to anyone because it’s getting returned anyway.”

Yixing can’t believe he actually allowed himself to be persuaded. He always stood his ground. Maybe a part of him really did want to ‘live a little’ even though the other part kept screaming for him to think about his job and the possibility of being caught by the guest if she returned unexpectedly. 

After he puts the shirt on he checks himself out in the bathroom mirror. Again, Taewoo’s right. The color did look good on him. And it fit almost perfectly; the arms were a tad bit too long. He pairs the shirt with the fitted black slacks that Taewoo tosses to him from the doorway.

“If only you had something other than those hideous shoes,” Taewoo says, looking with distain at the black slip-on sneakers on Yixing’s feet. He sighs then takes his phone from his pocket. “Anyway, you have to take a picture. That shirt looks great—“

There is a knock at the door.

Yixing’s stomach drops. He freezes, looking at Taewoo with wide eyes.

“Wait here,” Taewoo says, seemingly calm. “I’ll go see who it is.” He rushes off as Yixing just stands there in panic. After a moment Taewoo calls out, “It’s your son…sir!”

Yixing sags with relief, but then immediately wonders what Chenle’s doing here. Did something happen? Also did Taewoo just call him ‘sir’? Yixing leaves the bathroom and meets Taewoo and Chenle in the foyer. 

“Chenle, why are you here? You’re supposed—“ he starts before Taewoo clears his throat and tilts his head toward the doorway.

There’s a man standing there. He smiles kindly and steps inside. “Hello,” he says. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

“H-Hello,” Yixing stammers.

“This is Mr. Baekhyun,” Chenle says excitedly. “He’s really cool and has a really cute dog and I want to play with him. Is that alright?”

Yixing tears his eyes away from the man — Baekhyun — and looks down at Chenle. “Play? Play with who?”

Chenle sighs impatiently. “Mobi. He’s Mr. Baekhyun’s dog.”

“Oh, I—“

“Weren’t you heading out just now, Mr. Yeheung?” Taewoo asks Yixing in his customer service voice. Yixing throws a look at him but Taewoo just looks back at him with fake innocence. “You were just saying you wanted to go for a walk, remember? Maybe you can go with them. I’ll go grab your jacket.”

Before Yixing can protest, Taewoo is walking away.

“Oh, you were going out?” Baekhyun asks.

“I—Yeah, I guess” Yixing says, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. “I hope that’s okay.” Taewoo returns and helps Yixing into a black, light jacket that would do nothing to keep him warm in the breezy fall weather.

“It’s more than okay. It’ll probably be best if you come. Me being a stranger and all.” He pauses and glances around the suite. “Would your wife like to come as well?”

“He doesn’t have a wife,” Chenle and Taewoo say at the same time.

“Or a husband,” Chenle adds after a brief, awkward pause.

Yixing looks between Chenle and Taewoo with suspicion.

“Ah, I see,” Baekhyun says softly.

Yixing meets his gaze for a moment before Chenle’s tugging at his arm. “Come on, Baba,” he says. “Lets go!”

 

☉☉☉

 

When they finally get outside, Yixing feels like he’s really going to faint. He doesn’t think he breathed the entire time. Fortunately, they didn’t run into any other housekeepers — though Yixing kept his head down for most of the walk down. If anyone found him like this he was dead. Or worse, fired.

“There you are,” a man — very tall, very skinny and holding on to the leash of a brown and white Welsh corgi — says to Baekhyun. He looks at Yixing then Chenle then at Baekhyun again. “What’s going on?”

“This is Chenle’s dad, Yeheung,” Baekhyun says simply. “I thought I told you I’d meet you at the park.”

The man glances at Yixing again before pulling Baekhyun closer. “What are you doing?” he says in a loud whisper.

Baekhyun takes the leash from him and passes it to Chenle. “Here,” he says to Chenle. “Why don’t you take him? I’ll meet you at the park in a bit. I have to talk to my friend.”

Chenle’s entire face brightens as he takes the leash then drags Yixing along in the direction of the park.

“Who is that?” Yixing asks when they were a block away.

“Mr. Baekhyun,” Chenle replies, his eyes watching the corgi that walks obediently between them.

“Yes, I know that. How’d you meet him?”

“I met him outside.”

“Today?”

“Yes.”

“Did Uncle Taewoo tell you anything?”

“No. Look how short his legs are. They move so fast.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Cute.”

When they reach the park, Yixing finds an empty bench to sit and watch Chenle play with this stranger’s dog. He’d have joined him but he’s wearing expensive clothing that aren’t his and needed to be returned to the boutique in perfect condition. He has to be careful. He dusts off the bench but decides that even after that it’s too dirty to sit on so he just stands.

How refreshing it is to see Chenle smiling. Doing something as simple as throwing a stick for the dog to catch and bring back to him is making him this happy. Yixing smiles to himself.

“Hello again,” a voice says next to him.

Yixing jumps and turns to his right to find Baekhyun looking back at him, amused. “Oh. Hello.”

“Do you want to sit down?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” He crosses his arms to help warm him up. “I want to thank you for this, really. He’s been feeling down all day. This is the first time I’ve seen him smile this much in a while.”

“It’s no problem. I met him just outside the hotel. He was telling me about his dog he never gets to see. Cookie?”

“Ah, yes.” Cookie. Cookie was originally Junmyeon’s dog. He got her as a gift from his parents but he took her with him when he and Yixing split. Chenle had grown a close bond to her for the year and a half they’d gotten to know each other and it hurt to separate them. But even if Junmyeon was willing to give Cookie away, Yixing couldn’t care for her. His new place is too small and he doesn’t have the time or the extra money to keep up with her needs. “It’s too bad we don’t have the room for her.”

“He told me she stays with you.”

“Did he?”

“Yeah, he said his dog Cookie stayed with his father. Unless,” Baekhyun adds, “he has another father.”

Yixing eyes meet his. “He does. We’re not together anymore, which is why Chenle doesn’t get to see Cookie as often as he likes.”

“Oh. I see.”

Baekhyun is still looking into his eyes and it’s a bit awkward for Yixing so he just looks forward again. “Yeah,” Yixing continues. “He’s part of the reason Chenle’s been so down. He had this thing at school, a dance performance. He did well but he made a few mistakes and—Sorry, I’m saying too much. I don’t want to bore you.” Also he is a stranger! What is he thinking telling a stranger personal information?

“No, it’s okay. I’m a performer as well.”

“You dance?”

“Not well.” He laughs. “No, I’m a stage actor.”

“Ah.”

“Was he nervous or something? Because that’s understandable.”

“No. Well, yes but he says it’s not what made him mess up. It’s a bit complicated. Personal.”

“Okay. I understand. Well, he seems like a good kid. He knows his theater better than I do.”

“I’ve learned a lot about it from him.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s eight.”

“Wow, he’s amazing.”

Yixing smiles proudly, watching Chenle chase the dog in circles. “I think so too.” Something catches the corner of his eye - a man standing by a tree with a camera aimed in their direction.

“Is that man taking pictures of us?” Yixing asks.

Baekhyun follows his gaze. “It appears so,” he replies sounding peeved.

Yixing shields his face with his hand. “Why is he doing that?”

“It’s because of me. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you—“

“Hey!” a voice calls out. The tall, skinny man from earlier is running in the direction of the man with the camera, who bolts as soon as he sees him coming.

Where did he come from? Yixing wonders to himself. “Isn’t that your friend?“

“My manager, actually.”

“When you said you were a stage actor, did you mean you were a famous one?”

“Well,” Baekhyun says, not meeting Yixing eyes for what felt like the first time, “I guess I am…famous. But it’s not just because of my acting.”

“Are you not good?”

Baekhyun bursts out laughing. “I’ll leave that for others to decide, but I do enjoy it. It’s just I don’t think people recognize me for my acting. My parents are pretty…well-known. Lets just say I’m used to the spotlight. It’s been normalized for me so when it happens I’m barely fazed. I have to remember that the average person is generally freaked out over that kind of stuff.” He met Yixing’s gaze again. “I apologize for not explaining that before taking you and your son out. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure those photos aren’t spread.”

“You can do that?” With the way technology worked these days, Yixing’s sure it’s impossible.

“Absolutely.”

“Okay. Thank you.” He can be lying for all Yixing knows.

“No problem.” Baekhyun smiles at him and Yixing swears his heart flutters. He looks away quickly and plays it off by pretending he was looking for Chenle, who’s in the same spot he’d always been. Now he and the dog are lying on the grass, Chenle stroking his head.

“So, what are you here for?” Baekhyun asks after a moment. “Vacation?”

“Huh?” Yixing asks before he remembers that Baekhyun thinks he’s a hotel guest. “Oh! I’m here for…family? Friends? Family and friends.”

“Where are you from?”

“I live—” He waves his hand vaguely. “—way, way out. Nowhere in the city.”

“No, I meant— You have an accent.”

“Ah, you noticed. I guess I’ll never get rid of it.”

“I find it very attractive.”

Yixing blinks at him, unsure how to answer that.

“So, where is it from?”

“Um. China.”

“China. Nice. How long have you been away?”

“Too long.”

“I hope you find the time to go back soon.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“How long is your stay in the city for?”

“Uh, it’s going to be a while.”

“So you’ll be here tomorrow?”

Yixing shrugs. “I might be.”

“If you’re not busy maybe we can grab a coffee or something.”

Did he just ask him out? Or is he just being nice? Taken aback, Yixing stammers over his words before finally getting a full sentence out. “I’m very busy, sorry.”

“Okay. How’s Monday?”

“Monday? Sorry, I-I’m busy. All week. Busy.”

“Ah. You’re busy all week?” He sounds disappointed.

“Yes, I have work and—“ Work. That reminds him. He has to get back to the hotel. “Oh my god, what time is it?”

Baekhyun checks the time on his phone. “It’s 3:45.”

“Oh! I have to go. We have to go. Chenle! Chenle, lets go!” Chenle had been drinking water at the fountain, but runs over when Yixing calls him. The corgi runs right behind him.

“Baba, can I play a little bit longer?” he asks, a whine tinging his voice.

“ _I would love for you to play,_ ” Yixing says, switching to Mandarin, “ _but I have to get back to work. I’m still on the clock. They don’t pay me to pretend I’m a guest. I have more rooms to clean._ ”

Chenle sighs. “Okay.”

“You can play with Mobi next time,” Baekhyun says to Chenle.

“Okay,” Chenle says again but with more enthusiasm. He digs into his coat pocket and hands Baekhyun a leash. “I took it off while we were playing.”

“Oh, thank you.” Baekhyun takes the leash from him then he looks at Yixing. “I’m on the 4th floor, room 1004. You know, if you need to reach me for anything.”

“The Angel Suite?”

“Yeah.” He looks surprised that Yixing knows that.

Yixing blinks, suddenly making sense of something. His mouth goes dry. He needs to get out of here. Away from this man. _Now_. “Okay. Thanks again. It was nice meeting you, Baekhyun.”

“And you too, Yeheung.” Yixing winces internally at the awful name. He’s going to kill Taewoo. “And Chenle,” Baekhyun adds. “See you two around.”

“You’re not coming back to the hotel, Mr. Baekhyun?” Chenle asks because of course he would.

“No, not now. I have somewhere to be. Next time!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm alive ;;; this is a very very brief update that i should've posted weeks ago but things kept...happening ;;;
> 
> i didn't proofread this but pls enjoy anyway :)

“Don’t talk to me,” Yixing says, throwing the discarded clothes at Taewoo as he exits the employees’ bathroom. He’d just changed back into his housekeeper uniform after the long trek back to the hotel. Fortunately, again, he and Chenle made their way back without being seen by anyone they knew or would recognize them.

“Careful,” Taewoo says as he smoothes the clothes out and drapes them gently over his arm. “All of these together are more than your annual salary. And they still have to be returned.”

Yixing digs in his pocket for the receipts but finds nothing. “Oh no. The receipts.”

“Relax. I have them. I’ll return them for you.”

“Where did Chenle go?”

“I sent him back to Joohyun. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine.” Yixing turns away from him, heading in the direction of the storage room.

“Also,” Taewoo says, following him, “I cleaned your last room on 22nd and I told the manager and everybody that you weren’t feeling well so pretend to be sick or something.”

Yixing doesn’t say anything until they’re inside the storage room, where thankfully no one is present. “I can’t believe you did that.”

Taewoo has the nerve to look confused. “Did what?”

“You know who he is. You set me up. It was your plan right from the beginning, wasn’t it?”

“Okay, wait a minute. I did not plan this. I know it looks bad, but all of this was just coincidence, I swear. I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for lying. I’m sorry for the stupid fake name. I—I don’t know. I guess I panicked. I didn’t want you to lose your job.”

“Oh really? That’s funny seeing as how I actually might lose my job now.”

“What for? No one important saw you. Right?”

“The hotel heir did.”

“He definitely did. I saw the way he was looking at you.”

“What?”

“He practically had to pick his jaw up off the floor. Chenle’s observant. I bet he noticed too.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“So, what happened? What’s he like? Did you two hit it off? He’s cute, isn’t he?”

Yixing shrugs, attempting indifference. “He’s alright.”

“Don’t give me that. I can see your face. You’re smiling.”

“I’m literally not.”

“Your eyes are. How is he? Really.”

Yixing thinks it over. Baekhyun’s actually really nice. At least he was to him. He has the loveliest, kindest brown eyes. Pretty lips. Great teeth. He even has a nice sounding voice. Everything about him is…too good. “Honestly? He’s perfect.”

Taewoo’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “Perfect is good.”

“He invited me for to get coffee with him.”

“A date?”

“No, no, no. Not a date. He was just being nice. Anyway—”

“And what did you say?”

“I said I was busy all week.”

“What? Why?”

“What do you mean why? He thinks I’m a guest here. How long do you expect me to keep up with this lie?”

“Depends. How long is he staying here?”

“Taewoo.”

“I’m kidding.” He checks the time on his watch. “I want to talk more, but I gotta get these to the shop before they close. I might not see you later so call me tonight.”

“No.”

Taewoo scoffs then walks off.

 

☉☉☉

 

“What we did today was wrong,” Yixing says that night to Chenle as they eat dinner at their tiny table in their tiny apartment kitchen. “You know that right?”

“You mean with Mr. Baekhyun?” Chenle asks as he dunks a chicken nugget into the small pool of barbecue sauce on his plate.

“Yes. It was wrong. We should’ve told the truth.”

“But we didn’t really lie.”

“Well, we let him believe something that wasn’t true. That’s as bad as lying, Chenle. If we see him tomorrow, we have to tell him the truth. Agreed?”

Chenle nods as he chews. After he swallows he asks, “Did you think he was nice?”

“I thought he was very nice. Which is why I feel terrible about lying to him. Not saying we should lie to people who aren’t nice, I just mean—“

“I know, Baba.”

“Good. Now, once again, if either of us happen to run into him tomorrow, we let him know the truth. There’s no reason for us to lie.” Better start looking at job openings tonight, he thinks as he shoves a forkful of chicken salad in his mouth.

 

☉☉☉

 

The next morning is very similar to the one before except there’s more pep in Chenle’s steps and he greets everyone with a smile and over the top waving. Yixing doesn’t know why he’s so happy all of a sudden but he’s relieved he’s in a better mood. After leaving him with Joohyun, Yixing goes to clock in and change into his uniform.

“Morning," Taewoo says from behind him as Yixing buttons up the last few buttons on his work shirt. Taewoo is already fully dressed and munching on the last of a bagel.

“Good morning,” Yixing returns.

“You didn’t call me last night.”

“I said I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, but usually when you say that you do anyway. Are you mad at me?”

“No. I just had a lot on my mind.”

“Yixing, you can be mad at me. I wouldn’t blame you. Actually I’ve been thinking of ways to make things better for you.”

“And?”

“And…nothing. Sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m actually planning on telling him the truth.“

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Staff meeting!” the voice of their manager — Minho — calls from up front.

Yixing closes his locker. “Yeah. Come on, lets see what the fuss is about today.”

Like every morning, Taewoo and Yixing join the crowd of various employees just outside the manager’s office, where Minho stands at the front, facing them and glancing around, probably making sure everyone is present.

“Hello, gang,” Minho starts, smiling warmly at them. “How are we all feeling this fine Sunday morning?”

“Good,” everyone answers automatically.

“That’s good. As some of you may know, the assistant manager position is soon to be vacant and if anyone would like to submit an application, they’re more than welcome.”

“Does that include housekeepers?” someone asks somewhere near the front of the crowd.

“Of course. But to be qualified you must have been an employee of The SM for three consecutive years or more.”

Yixing nudges Taewoo, who nudges him back shaking his head.

“You can find the applications in the break room. I left a stack on the far left table. The deadline for the applications is Friday. Please keep that in mind and good luck to you all. Now—” He claps his hands together. “—onto a new topic, an important topic: our guests. Miss Stephanie Hwang is checking in today. Miss Hwang is the ‘alleged girlfriend’ of our Baekhyun Byun so whoever gets assigned to her, lets be sure she gets treated extra, extra well, okay? Okay. What else…”

Girlfriend, Yixing thinks. Of course he has a girlfriend. This shouldn’t disappoint him and yet— No. Never mind. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts and focuses back on what Minho is saying.

“..and Mr. Kim is back on the wagon so lets clear out the mini bar…“

“You look upset,” Taewoo whispers to Yixing as Minho rambles on.

Yixing glances at his friend who is watching him closely. “What?”

“I don’t think it’s true though.”

“What isn’t?”

“The girlfriend thing.”

“I don’t really care, Taewoo.” He decides to switch the topic before he spoke again. “But, hey, you should apply for the position.”

“Me? I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll get it. There’s gonna be a lot of competition.”

“You never know. Come on. It won’t hurt to try.”

“Only if you do it too.”

“I can’t. He said you have to have been here for at least three years. I’ve only been here nine months.”

Taewoo sighs. “Okay then, whatever, yeah, I guess I’ll give it try. But if I don’t get it I’m gonna blame it all on you.”

Yixing chuckles. “Fine.”

 

☉☉☉

 

Baekhyun can’t stop thinking about him. Yeheung, the hot dad from China. There was something intriguing about him. Not to mention he was hot as hell. He wants to know more about him. He _needs_ to know more about him. Which is why he’d sent a message to Yeheung’s suite via one of the hotel butlers asking him to dine with him this afternoon.

It’s Sunday and Baekhyun only has one show to perform this evening. His musical is going over well so far. They’d just wrapped their first week and the critics were raving over the performances. Most of the comments weren’t necessarily about his performance but he’s glad the musical is getting positive reviews and exposure from well-known and respected critics. Especially since this was his Broadway debut.

“Do you think it’s too much?” Baekhyun asks from his sprawled out position on the couch.

“Is what too much?” Chanyeol, his manager, asks. He’s seated at the kitchen table several feet away scrolling through his phone.

“Asking him out for lunch.”

“Who?”

“Oh, right. I didn’t tell you. I asked the hot dad to join me for lunch today. I’m waiting to hear back.”

Chanyeol scoffs in disbelief. “After what we just went through this morning, you’re still trying to see him again?”

“What? The picture? No one cares about that.” Apparently a photo of Yeheung and Baekhyun at the park yesterday was leaked on a gossip forum. Yeheung’s face was censored with a cute emoji sticker but it still didn’t stop people from spreading it. Baekhyun still doesn’t see the big deal. Yeheung’s face is covered and the picture is simply the two of them standing next to each other with the caption: “On a date??? ( ﾟoﾟ)”

“Remember what I said yesterday? About how there’s a ton of support for your dating news with Stephanie? Yeah, those people have turned on you now. Or they will. I’m reading your section on the forum now—”

“Chanyeol—“

“—and they’re saying that if you hurt Stephanie in any way, you’ll pay for it. She’s been through a lot of mess when it comes to men and dating. Also some say they plan on boycotting your play if this turns out to be true.”

“We aren’t dating in the first place!” The dating rumors started after Stephanie accidentally uploaded a selfie of the two of them sharing a kiss at a Halloween party and reports from eyewitnesses saying they “looked very cozy” at said party. Stephanie’s agency confirmed a relationship immediately without even consulting Baekhyun or his people. Baekhyun didn’t want to embarrass her so he asked his agency not to respond and for some reason the media took as a ‘yes’ which only made things worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it.

Fake dating Stephanie has been great on his image so far, he’ll be honest. Stephanie was a well-known and extremely loved international model/actress. Her fans took to him, saying she chose well and that they matched perfectly. Baekhyun already had a lot of supporters. Some of them through his acting, most of them through his parents, particularly his mother, who was a very famous actress in her time. But through ‘dating’ Stephanie, he’s gained even more supporters in such a short amount of time.

It was nice, but it also sucked. He and Stephanie were very good friends and had been for years. This ‘dating scandal’ had only pushed them further apart. He probably only talked to her once since the news broke out and that was nearly three weeks ago.

“Baekhyun, this is just your public image. You can have whatever image you want behind the scenes.”

“Then why are you so upset about me asking out Hot Dad?”

“I’m not upset. I just want you to be careful. We don’t need to add anything on top of this. You’re in a really good place right now.”

“That’s why I have you for, manager. You’re supposed to help manage my glamorous, celebrity life.” Chanyeol mumbles something under his breath but Baekhyun’s mind is already back on Yeheung. “Do you think he’ll say he’s busy again?”

“I dunno, Baek. I don’t even know the guy.”

“I don’t want to assume that he said he was busy yesterday because he didn’t want to see me. He could actually be a busy guy.”

“Maybe. Where exactly do you plan on having this lunch?”

“Don’t worry. I plan on having it here. No cameras. No onlookers. See, I was being smart.” More like he didn’t want Chanyeol hovering around them like he was Baekhyun’s babysitter.

There’s a series of short knocks at the door. Mobi comes running out of Baekhyun’s bedroom, barking excitedly. “Butler service, Mr. Byun,” a voice calls behind it.

Baekhyun sits up, hushing Mobi and waving him over to the couch. “Come in!” he calls.

The door opens and the butler — Yunho, who Baekhyun’s known for a few years and has become a dear friend — enters followed by a familiar looking man in a housekeeper uniform carrying a large bouquet of flowers. “Your guest has agreed to meet,” Yunho says.

“Excellent!”

“Your meal is being prepared now. It shouldn't be long. The chef hopes you enjoy what he has chosen for you this afternoon. It’s one of his specialties.”

Baekhyun couldn’t decide on a dish. He knew what he liked but he wasn’t so sure about Yeheung. So he’d asked that the dish be “something delicious.” If Yeheung hated it they could order takeout or something.

“Very nice. I’m excited to try it.”

“Yes. I have this young man here with me.” Yunho holds an arm out to the man next to him. “I’m training him today. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, not at all.” Now he knows why he looks familiar. “Oh, I saw you yesterday. Uncle Taewoo, right?” If he remembers correctly that was what Chenle had addressed him as yesterday.

The man chuckles awkwardly and glances at Yunho before answering with a slight nod.

Yunho looks questioningly between them but says, “We’ll get started then.”

“Perfect. Thanks so much, Yunho.”

“My pleasure, sir.”

“Who the hell is Uncle Taewoo?” Chanyeol asks immediately when the workers entered the kitchen and are presumably out of earshot.

“Never mind. You have an hour to leave. Or you can just hide somewhere. Do something. Just don’t make yourself seen. I’m going to go shower.” He leaves the room without waiting for a response from Chanyeol.

 

☉☉☉

 

“How do I look?” Baekhyun asks Mobi after his third shirt change. “Not bad, huh?”

Mobi, who’s hanging out on the bed, just stares at him.

For his outfit, Baekhyun’s gone with a plain black t-shirt and light-colored blue jeans. “I know it’s simple, but you can’t go wrong with simple. Right?”

There’s a knock at the door. Mobi perks up. “Shh,” Baekhyun says, calming him before he got too excited. He checks the time on the digital clock on the nightstand. “Oh. He’s early.” There’s still a little less than half an hour left before the scheduled time. Why is he so nervous all of a sudden? “Wish me luck,” he says to Mobi over his shoulder as he leaves the room to get the door.

Yunho is already on his way to the door but Baekhyun gebtky waves him off. ”I got it,” he says. Yunho quietly slips back into the kitchen. Baekhyun stole a peek at the dining table. They’d decorated it beautifully with the assorted flowers Taewoo was carrying earlier, a silky white tablecloth and some fancy dinnerware that Baekhyun sworn he’d never seen before. Baekhyun never even mentioned it was a date and yet they went all out. He hoped Yeheung liked it.

He takes one giant deep breath to settle his nerves and opens the door. To his absolute shock, Yeheung is not the person on the other side. It’s Stephanie. His fake girlfriend.

“Hello, darling!” Stephanie greets him loudly, throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him tight. “I missed you while I was away!”

“Um,” Baekhyun says, hands dangling at his sides. “Hi?”

Stephanie pulls away and walked past him into the suite. “Mm, something smells good! Hi Mobi!” Mobi, who had quietly followed behind Baekhyun, greets Stephanie happily, licking her face when she crouched to pat his head.

“Stephanie?” He finally shuts the door then follows her into the living room. She plops down on the couch and Mobi joins, sitting right in her lap. “What are you doing here?”

“I know, right? How unpredictable of me. I totally just blew off my schedule and flew all the way here. I wanted to surprise my friend. You know the one. Taeyeon? She’s been so down lately, I thought she needed a pick me up.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Baekhyun doesn’t remember who Taeyeon is and although it was sweet of Stephanie to drop everything just to meet her sad friend, the real question he was asking was _“Why are you in my suite, at this time, when I have a date with a really hot guy in like 20 minutes?”_ Any other time he’d be more than happy to welcome Stephanie. She was his friend after all and he’d missed her but this wasn’t the time! “So, um, what’s up? Is there something you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. You’re the one who invited me over.”

Baekhyun blinks at her. “What?” He didn’t even know she was here until two minutes ago when she walked through his door.

“For lunch?” She gasps after double-taking at the dining table. She stands and made her way over. “Oh my. This is beautiful. Roses. You remembered.”

“Um. I think there has been some confusion.”

“Your note said noon, didn’t it?”

“You got my note?”

“Didn’t you send a note to the TTS Suite?”

“I did but how’d you get it?”

“That’s where I’m staying with Taeyeon. I was going to book my own room but I just decided to use hers for a few nights since her husband is—Never mind. Not my business to tell.”

Baekhyun scratches the back of his head. “I’m really lost right now.”

“The details aren’t important. You invited me to lunch and I’m here.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him, her face inches from his. “So, what are we having?”

He steps back slightly. “There’s been some sort of mix up.”

Her face falls. “You mean you didn’t invite me?”

“I’m sorry Stephanie. I didn’t even know you were coming in today.”

Her arms slowly slide from his shoulders and drops to her sides. “But—I thought—Your note, it said you wanted—I assumed…” Her voice trails.

What could she possibly had assumed? A romantic afternoon with just the two of them? Surely she knows where his feelings with her lie. “Yeah. It was for someone I met yesterday.”

“Ah. So, you’re still actively dating. Of course, why wouldn’t you?” She looks so heartbroken. So, maybe she didn't know his true feelings. Baekhyun feels a bit bad now. For a second, it looks like she's going to cry but she recovers quickly and smiles at him apologetically. “Sorry. I’ll, um, I'll go.” She walks quickly to the door.

“Wait—”

“No.” She waves him off. “I ruined your date. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah. See you.” Then she leaves the suite without another word.

 

☉☉☉

 

Baekhyun enters the kitchen where Yunho and Taewoo are. They’re having an in depth conversation about silverware.

“Hey,” he greets them. Taewoo nearly jumps out of his skin, fumbling with the fork he was holding.

“Are you ready for us to serve?” Yunho asks.

“Uh, not yet. Actually I wanted to talk to Taewoo about something. The man I met yesterday, Yeheung. I did meet him in the TTS Suite, right?”

“Um,” Taewoo says, eyes darting to Yunho quickly. “I—I’m sorry. Who?”

“Yeheung,” he says again. “Very handsome. Very dark hair, kinda curly. Average height. Chinese.”

“Handsome, huh?” he asks sounding surprised. Then he shakes his head and shrugs. “I’m sorry, I—“

“He has a son named Chenle. Calls you Uncle Taewoo.” Why is he acting so strange?

“Oh,” Yunho says with a clap of his hands. “You must mean Yixing. I think I saw him this morning at the meeting.”

“Yixing?”

“That’s the only guy we know with a kid named Chenle.”

“Oh, right,” Taewoo says. “Yixing. Yeah.” He chuckles weakly.

Yixing. Yeheung. Whatever he went by doesn’t matter to Baekhyun at the moment. He just needs to find this man who has been occupying his thoughts since yesterday. “Okay, do any of you know where he’s staying?”

“Staying?” Yunho’s brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“I thought he was in TTS, which is why I sent my invite there but someone else is staying there.”

“But—I—He—Do you—“ Yunho stammers then steps closer, lowering his voice to barely a whisper. “I assume you want me to be discreet.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s none of my business, sir, but well, considering your, uh, current situation and also Yixing’s, uh, well, occupation—I just want to make sure everything is—how should I say this—kept private. For your sake, of course, sir.”

“His occupation? What does that have to do with anything?”

“You do know he’s a housekeeper, right?”

No, no he most certainly does not know that.


End file.
